Business Performance Review

Where is value
leaking?

A structured review of where your business is losing value, what to fix first, and a 90-day roadmap to make it stick — with named owners, not just a report that gets filed.

Book a Free Consultation How it works ↓

The Service

What is a Business Performance Review?

Most SME owners have a sense that something isn't quite right — margins that should be better, a team that's busy but not moving the numbers, decisions being made on gut feel because nobody's actually pulled the data together. The problem usually isn't a lack of effort. It's a lack of a clear, honest picture of where the value is actually leaking.

A Business Performance Review is a structured, evidence-based diagnostic. We work through your business's financials and operations methodically — Discover, Analyse, Recommend, Govern — to find out where value is being lost, what to fix first, and how to make sure it actually gets fixed. It isn't a generic audit template with your company name at the top. It's built around your numbers, your team, and your specific situation.

Where this differs from most reviews: it doesn't end with a report. It ends with a 90-day roadmap, named owners for every action, and a built-in follow-up — because a diagnosis nobody acts on isn't worth the fee.

Is This Right For You?

For SME owners who want
evidence, not opinions

If you suspect your business could be performing better but can't put your finger on exactly where — or you've had advice before that never translated into action — this is built for you.

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Business owners without an in-house finance function who need an outside, structured view of performance

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Owners who suspect margin is being lost somewhere but don't have the data pulled together to see it

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Businesses preparing for investment, sale, or a funding application who need a credible, evidenced performance picture

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Owners who've had advice before that sat in a folder — and want something that actually gets tracked and actioned

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Anyone who wants a genuinely evidence-led diagnosis, not a generic template dressed up as bespoke advice

What's Included

Four phases. One outcome.

Discover

We gather your financial and operational data and get a real, current picture of the business — not a snapshot from six months ago.

Analyse

Structured analysis of where value is being created and where it's leaking — margin, cost centres, operational drag, the things a P&L alone won't show you.

Recommend

Specific, prioritised recommendations — what to fix first and why, backed by the evidence from the analysis, not generic best practice.

Govern

A 90-day roadmap with named owners, an escalation framework, a RAG status dashboard, and a 30-day follow-up — so the recommendations don't just evaporate.

The Process

How it works

Discovery Call

A focused conversation about your business, what's prompting the review, and what data is available to work with.

Discover & Analyse (Weeks 1–3)

We gather and work through your financial and operational data — revenue, cost centres, margin, and the drivers behind them — to build a real picture of where performance stands today.

Recommend (Week 4)

We turn the analysis into specific, prioritised recommendations — what to fix first, and the evidence behind why.

Govern (Weeks 5–6)

We build the 90-day roadmap together — named owners, an escalation framework, and a RAG status dashboard — so there's a clear, trackable route from recommendation to action.

30-Day Follow-Up

A check-in to see what's on track, what's stalled, and what needs escalating — before things quietly drift.

What You Leave With

A roadmap built to
be tracked

Not a static report that gets read once and filed. A working roadmap with clear ownership and a built-in mechanism to keep it honest.

An evidenced picture of where value is leaking, backed by your own data

Prioritised recommendations — what to fix first, and why

A 90-day roadmap with named owners for every action

A RAG status dashboard to track progress at a glance

An escalation framework for anything that stalls

A 30-day follow-up to check what's actually happened

Investment

Three ways to scope it

Every review runs the same four phases — the difference is depth and scope. All prices exclude VAT.

Focused Review

£3,500 from

A single, well-defined area of the business — one function or one specific concern, reviewed in depth.

4 weeks, single focus area
Full Discover → Govern process
90-day roadmap & RAG dashboard

Most Common

Full Review

£5,500 from

A whole-business review — the standard scope for an SME wanting a genuine, complete performance picture.

6 weeks, whole-business scope
Full Discover → Govern process
90-day roadmap, RAG dashboard & escalation framework
30-day follow-up included

Portfolio Review

£8,500 from

For businesses with multiple sites, divisions, or entities needing a consolidated performance picture.

6–8 weeks, multi-entity scope
Full Discover → Govern process per entity
Consolidated roadmap & dashboard
30-day follow-up included

Your Reviewer

Why Richard Shaw

I'm a TOGAF-certified Enterprise and Solution Architect with 15+ years designing evidence-based business cases and target operating models across UK central government and healthcare — work where a recommendation with no data behind it simply doesn't survive scrutiny.

That's the same discipline this review is built on. I don't hand over a generic template with your name at the top — every review is grounded in your actual data, structured the same way I'd structure a business case for a government programme board.

I'm also ILM Level 7 qualified in executive coaching and mentoring, and a Help to Grow Approved Mentor — so the roadmap this review produces isn't just handed over, it's something I can help you actually work through afterwards.

Qualified

TOGAF 9.1 Enterprise & Solution Architecture

Experience

15+ years evidence-based business cases, UK Government & healthcare

Also

ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching & Mentoring

Approved

Help to Grow: Management Approved Mentor

Based

Brighton, East Sussex — working UK-wide

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Business Performance Review take?

4 to 8 weeks depending on scope — a Focused Review runs around 4 weeks, a Full Review 6 weeks, and a Portfolio Review 6 to 8 weeks. The timeline depends on how quickly data can be gathered and how many stakeholders need to be involved.

What data do I need to provide?

Typically financial statements or management accounts, and whatever operational data is relevant to the area under review. If your records aren't perfectly organised, that's fine — part of the Discover phase is working with what you actually have.

What happens after the 90-day roadmap is delivered?

You own the roadmap and can run with it yourself. A 30-day follow-up is included to check progress and flag anything that's stalled. If you want ongoing support to keep executing, that's available through business coaching.

How is this different from a Growth Action Plan?

A Growth Action Plan is forward-looking and strategic — where do you want to go and how. A Business Performance Review is diagnostic and evidence-led — where is value being lost right now, in the numbers you already have. Many clients start with a review to establish the evidence base, then use it to inform a growth plan.

Ready to Start?

Find out where
the value's going.

If you know there's more in the business than you're currently seeing, and you want the evidence to prove it — let's talk.

Book a Free Consultation Explore Growth Action Planning →

Where is valueleaking?